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The Secret to Being You!: Using Brain Science & the 9 Acknowledgment Languages™ to Unbox Your Enneagram
Have you ever taken a personality test...you know, the ones you find on social media?
The results can be validating and even give you a little chuckle, but they can really miss the mark when it comes to telling the whole story about You.
After decades of psychology work in Corporate America, life-in-business coaching for work-at-home moms, plus raising and homeschooling neurodivergent boys, author Jen P Higgins recognized 2 major trends in human development:
1) We are each hard-wired for comfort.
2) We are each hard-wired to grow.
Talk about the internal tension of staying in the box versus stepping out of the box!
No one (not even an Enneagram expert!) is immune to the brain’s hard-wiring for coping and surviving to just get through the day! This can cause blind spots in your self-awareness journey and lead to making assumptions about others that can drive a wedge in your relationships.
The Key is to acknowledge what your Personality Ego is craving so you can balance that tension.
That’s why Jen developed the 9 Acknowledgment Languages™️ for her business and leadership programs — to bring clarity between the Nature and the Nurture of Personality Psychology from a Neuroscience perspective.
Jen is finally sharing this science-based approach to the Enneagram to help you recognize what you can change about yourself…and what you shouldn’t…so you can stop the self-sabotage cycle. Second-guessing, imposter syndrome, anxiety, and even physical pain can be better managed when you’re able to acknowledge how you are naturally wired to translate your experiences.
In The Secret to Being You! Using Brain Science & the 9 Acknowledgment Languages™️ to Unbox Your Enneagram , you’ll be enlightened by Jen’s straightforward step-by-step framework for developing the self-awareness to neutralize the blind spots that are keeping you from Being You!
From page one, you’ll dive into a story-based adventure into the Enneagram that beautifully (and vulnerably) unfolds the power of how you are neurologically designed to function and adapt.
Whether you're an Enneagram beginner or Enneagram master, you’ll love this groundbreaking approach to help you confirm your core type and further unbox more of yourself and your personal growth story. Not only will you feel more confident and comfortable in your own skin, but the 9 Acknowledgment Languages™️ paves the way to more grace for yourself and empathy and compassion for others.
Imagine how understanding yourself and others will positively impact your life, from personal and business relationships to your own mental and emotional health.
What others are saying about the "These pages are full of that “simple enough to understand, but deep enough to take you aback” kind of wisdom that brings the complicated, nuanced, often confusing study of the Enneagram into focus where it matters – learning about you… I truly believe that you will get what you need from this book. "Kim Eddy - Author of The Enneagram For Beginners
"Jen P Higgins’ story, humor and touching authenticity lead us on an inspiring journey. Readers feel they’re learning the Enneagram from a trusted friend with credible enneagram expertise. Recommended for beginners and enneagram lovers looking for new insights.
The results can be validating and even give you a little chuckle, but they can really miss the mark when it comes to telling the whole story about You.
After decades of psychology work in Corporate America, life-in-business coaching for work-at-home moms, plus raising and homeschooling neurodivergent boys, author Jen P Higgins recognized 2 major trends in human development:
1) We are each hard-wired for comfort.
2) We are each hard-wired to grow.
Talk about the internal tension of staying in the box versus stepping out of the box!
No one (not even an Enneagram expert!) is immune to the brain’s hard-wiring for coping and surviving to just get through the day! This can cause blind spots in your self-awareness journey and lead to making assumptions about others that can drive a wedge in your relationships.
The Key is to acknowledge what your Personality Ego is craving so you can balance that tension.
That’s why Jen developed the 9 Acknowledgment Languages™️ for her business and leadership programs — to bring clarity between the Nature and the Nurture of Personality Psychology from a Neuroscience perspective.
Jen is finally sharing this science-based approach to the Enneagram to help you recognize what you can change about yourself…and what you shouldn’t…so you can stop the self-sabotage cycle. Second-guessing, imposter syndrome, anxiety, and even physical pain can be better managed when you’re able to acknowledge how you are naturally wired to translate your experiences.
In The Secret to Being You! Using Brain Science & the 9 Acknowledgment Languages™️ to Unbox Your Enneagram , you’ll be enlightened by Jen’s straightforward step-by-step framework for developing the self-awareness to neutralize the blind spots that are keeping you from Being You!
From page one, you’ll dive into a story-based adventure into the Enneagram that beautifully (and vulnerably) unfolds the power of how you are neurologically designed to function and adapt.
Whether you're an Enneagram beginner or Enneagram master, you’ll love this groundbreaking approach to help you confirm your core type and further unbox more of yourself and your personal growth story. Not only will you feel more confident and comfortable in your own skin, but the 9 Acknowledgment Languages™️ paves the way to more grace for yourself and empathy and compassion for others.
Imagine how understanding yourself and others will positively impact your life, from personal and business relationships to your own mental and emotional health.
What others are saying about the "These pages are full of that “simple enough to understand, but deep enough to take you aback” kind of wisdom that brings the complicated, nuanced, often confusing study of the Enneagram into focus where it matters – learning about you… I truly believe that you will get what you need from this book. "Kim Eddy - Author of The Enneagram For Beginners
"Jen P Higgins’ story, humor and touching authenticity lead us on an inspiring journey. Readers feel they’re learning the Enneagram from a trusted friend with credible enneagram expertise. Recommended for beginners and enneagram lovers looking for new insights.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 10, 2021
9 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 11, 2021
I was one of those seekers disappointed by the Enneagram quiz I found online; it didn't quite tell me enough or explain things. Then, learning about the 9 Acknowledgment Languages and using the information in this book, I was able to understand so much more about myself.
January 4, 2022
This book added so much to my understanding of the Enneagram. I enjoyed it so much that I read it twice to really let all the fantastic brain science and the authors’ descriptions of the Nine Acknowledgment Languages sink in. I always struggled to type myself and this book really helped me to focus on the motivations and not the behavior associated with identifying your enneagram type. It was extremely well-written and well-researched. The explanations of the Nine Acknowledgment languages really honed in on the growth aspect of the enneagram. Highly recommend this one!
September 15, 2025
Most people move through life projecting their own motivations and expectations on other people and then are disappointed when others do not meet those expectations. Perhaps worse than that is when we cower under stress and then we ourselves do not live up to our own expectations. Do yourself a favor and read The Secret to Being You. You can be much more patient with family and friends, make more compassionate connections, and understand and be kinder to yourself as well.
In The Secret to Being You, Jen P Higgins offers a method of deciphering the different motivations and aspirations of different personality types, with the goal of understanding ourselves better—our motivations, character traits, and our own blind spots—as well as understanding others. The world would be a kinder and better place if everyone were aware of these characteristics.
This is a book about the Enneagram, but it is so much more. There is a wealth of information here from the latest that Psychology has to offer, but the reader does not get bogged down by it. Higgins intermingles personal anecdotes with the Enneagram, plus the 9 Acknowledgement Languages, attachment theory, and neurolinguistic programming, so that you are entertained as well as informed. Then she introduces tools to help discover your own motivations and blind spots. As a writer, I also intend to use this book as a reference manual to better develop the personalities, motivations and aspirations of my characters. Any professional in sales or management would benefit from the insights into different personalities. This book is a great tool to understanding yourself and having better relationships. I highly recommend it.
In The Secret to Being You, Jen P Higgins offers a method of deciphering the different motivations and aspirations of different personality types, with the goal of understanding ourselves better—our motivations, character traits, and our own blind spots—as well as understanding others. The world would be a kinder and better place if everyone were aware of these characteristics.
This is a book about the Enneagram, but it is so much more. There is a wealth of information here from the latest that Psychology has to offer, but the reader does not get bogged down by it. Higgins intermingles personal anecdotes with the Enneagram, plus the 9 Acknowledgement Languages, attachment theory, and neurolinguistic programming, so that you are entertained as well as informed. Then she introduces tools to help discover your own motivations and blind spots. As a writer, I also intend to use this book as a reference manual to better develop the personalities, motivations and aspirations of my characters. Any professional in sales or management would benefit from the insights into different personalities. This book is a great tool to understanding yourself and having better relationships. I highly recommend it.
December 17, 2021
Loving this “Unboxing” of the Enneagram!
This is a clear and decisive new take on the Enneagram by an author who’s clearly studied and lives it. What an engaging read!
I discovered the Enneagram a few years ago and felt immediately drawn to its powerful mechanism of understanding a person’s unique motivations and disintegrations (and I’m not someone who enjoys being “typed”). As I studied it more I realized how easy it is to mistype ourselves - especially if Ego is involved and wants to be “seen” a certain way.
The author delves into the sticky business of mistyping and offers a relatively simple way of breaking down the myriad facets of the Enneagram to truly align with your core type - and once that’s achieved properly, so many mysteries of why we do the things we do (often repeatedly) are made clear: We have to understand what our motivations are before we can understand when we’re approaching them in an unhealthy way.
There’s much more to this book than just understanding the motivations behind each type, but the author does such a wonderful job offering real-life examples for each one that this particular angle really stood out to me.
Well-written, well-researched, compelling to read, and insightful. I highly recommend this book whether you’re new to the Enneagram or have studied it for awhile!
This is a clear and decisive new take on the Enneagram by an author who’s clearly studied and lives it. What an engaging read!
I discovered the Enneagram a few years ago and felt immediately drawn to its powerful mechanism of understanding a person’s unique motivations and disintegrations (and I’m not someone who enjoys being “typed”). As I studied it more I realized how easy it is to mistype ourselves - especially if Ego is involved and wants to be “seen” a certain way.
The author delves into the sticky business of mistyping and offers a relatively simple way of breaking down the myriad facets of the Enneagram to truly align with your core type - and once that’s achieved properly, so many mysteries of why we do the things we do (often repeatedly) are made clear: We have to understand what our motivations are before we can understand when we’re approaching them in an unhealthy way.
There’s much more to this book than just understanding the motivations behind each type, but the author does such a wonderful job offering real-life examples for each one that this particular angle really stood out to me.
Well-written, well-researched, compelling to read, and insightful. I highly recommend this book whether you’re new to the Enneagram or have studied it for awhile!
December 15, 2021
This book was like a flash of insight for me about personality science. Author Jen P. Higgins reveals the Enneagram as an extraordinary tool for personality awareness and self-understanding. I knew little about Enneagram typing, but this book led me into the science, communicated clearly and without jargon. She shows how our inborn personality types are like a set of unconscious reflexes reflecting the fundamentals of what motivates each of us. Your type puts you into a box; but if you become aware, you can transcend the box and gain a deeper understanding of your own potential. "You don't need to be fixed, rather you need to explore what makes you different and embrace it," the author writes. Highly recommended!
December 15, 2021
I am an Enneagram fan!!! I definitely recommend that you take an opportunity to study it. To compliment your studies, I highly recommend Jen's book. I am half way through it and I'm really enjoying it. The book is well written with easy to understand examples, principles, and application. I am excited to continue reading to see what I can learn and apply. It is definitely worth a read as you look to better understand yourself and better relate to others.
December 21, 2021
Great book!
Thanks to the author, I now know more about Enneagrams and what my type may be, and how there is so much more to it than I thought possible. So much fascinating information that I feel I will continue to study and look back on this book. I enjoyed every new piece of information I learned throughout this book, and it has indeed opened my eyes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about what makes them who they are.
Thanks to the author, I now know more about Enneagrams and what my type may be, and how there is so much more to it than I thought possible. So much fascinating information that I feel I will continue to study and look back on this book. I enjoyed every new piece of information I learned throughout this book, and it has indeed opened my eyes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about what makes them who they are.
December 16, 2021
Maybe it isn't posh to give myself a 5 star review, but I'm here to remind myself that even though I wrote this book, it is STILL a guide for Myself in the moments I need to realign myself to my core and get centered for healthier boundaries.
Even in the writing of this book, I had 2x4 moments across the forehead of my Own blind spots keeping me from finishing and publishing it.
I literally use the CORE framework outlined in this book on a daily (hourly...??) basis!
Even in the writing of this book, I had 2x4 moments across the forehead of my Own blind spots keeping me from finishing and publishing it.
I literally use the CORE framework outlined in this book on a daily (hourly...??) basis!
January 15, 2022
My kind of enneagram book
I love the whole concept of unboxing the enneagram. While I’m a fan of the enneagram, I’ve often wondered about putting everyone into a set category. The author does a great job of putting that concern to rest. It’s a lot of information to digest. I took lots of notes. I think you will too. I will refer to this book over and over. Great resource.
I love the whole concept of unboxing the enneagram. While I’m a fan of the enneagram, I’ve often wondered about putting everyone into a set category. The author does a great job of putting that concern to rest. It’s a lot of information to digest. I took lots of notes. I think you will too. I will refer to this book over and over. Great resource.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews